She resonated her melodious Urdu lyricism in the Californian desert, becoming the first Pakistani to perform at Coachella.
The language barrier, she explains in an interview with AFP, no longer exists.
"It's an open door now."
For the 37-year-old singer, "a movement stirs the music as a whole", where artists break free from traditional musical categories.
"Musicians create music and the public listens to it with a very open mind. Without paying so much attention to genre (music), nor to borders", says the one who has just released a cover of a hit by the singer at flamenco influence Rosalia and cultivates a style where Sufi, folk, jazz and pop inspirations mingle.
"It's so free, open, and so, so beautiful."
This openness comes, according to her, from the Latin influence in the American music industry.
The airing of Spanish-language hits on American radio "opened the minds of listeners in America more."
"Now they're listening to music they don't understand and that's okay! They love it. It's a big step," she adds.
Arooj Aftab was thus able to create his own music more freely, without imposing limits.
"It's personal music," she says.
"It's not + my country, my country +, it's world music, it's all we feel, all the people we meet."
She has just received a Grammy for her song "Mohabbat", becoming the first singer from her country, men and women alike, to win the precious musical award.
With three studio albums to her credit, she takes advantage of this new recognition, and will perform again at Coachella during the second weekend of the festival.
© 2022 AFP